


december 2016 drabbles

by natalunasans



Series: Smaller on the Outside [6]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005), Doctor Who: Scream of the Shalka
Genre: Cat Therapy, Chronic Illness, Chronic Pain, Dysfunctional Relationships, Established Relationship, Friendship, Gen, Guilt, Interspecies Awkwardness, M/M, Other, Pets, Protectiveness, Relationship Negotiation, Telepathy, hivemind - Freeform, missing hivemind syndrome, respect
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-01
Updated: 2016-12-28
Packaged: 2018-09-03 13:55:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8716477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/natalunasans/pseuds/natalunasans
Summary: thanks @yellowbessie for the idea





	1. human and mildly annoyed (Alison & Shalka Doctor)

“The Master doesn’t mean it, you know… he actually likes you. Not many humans one could say that of!”

“Doctor, you're trying to be kind, but… People saying you're special, is… not as nice as it sounds.”

Her voice and eyebrows shift in mimicry: “When I said that about Blacks, or Jews, or uni dropouts, or barmaids... of course I didn’t mean _you_. _You’re_ not like the rest of that lot.” Alison pauses, hopes the Doctor gets the hint.

The Doctor isn’t always good with hints.

“You know I… I'm very fond of humans—”

“Yes, but do you _respect_ us?”


	2. ... (10/S!M, domestic angst)

“I'm just so tired...”

“Of?!”

“This--”

“ _This_?! You _chose_ this. It’s all _your_ doing.”

“I know... I'm _sorry_. I should've...”

“What? Let me die?! Bit late for that now, don't you think?!”

“I should’ve” the Doctor pauses, “thought it through.”

The Master’s voice becomes cold and dull, “and what would you have done differently?”

The Doctor stares at him for a moment before turning away.

* * *

 

The next morning, the Doctor rubs watery, sleepless eyes, “nothing for it but to keep trying.”

“Guess I'll stay and watch,” the Master sneers. But he gets up, slowly, to clear away the breakfast things.


	3. cat thoughts (S!M)

The Master, curled up in bed, waits to feel anything but pain. Suddenly, there's a weight on his leg; it moves up and settles on his hip. An unmistakable rhythmic noise soothes him into uneasy sleep.

He startles awake, finally somewhat rested.

TARDIS cats! Where -how- have they been living all this time? How dare the Doctor have pets without consulting him!

A questioning _mrrrrp_ from below; the cat jumps up, headbutts his arm, curls beside him. He reads its thoughts. To this sentient being, he's whatever he decides to do: absent his history of wrongdoing, only present choices matter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks @yellowbessie for the idea


	4. pain lessons  (10/S!M)

They're sat leaning together on the sofa, consciousness overlapping and blurred. The illusion of not-alone fills in the corners of emptiness left by the absent hivemind.

The Master drifts into sleep; his mental shielding slips. A wave of pain crashes into the Doctor’s mind.

_He must be so exhausted, from hurting and from pretending he's not._

Perhaps the Doctor's reaction startles him awake. He shakes his mind free of theirs and curls up, knees tight to his chest, arms pulling himself smaller.

“Why don't you let me feel it?”

“You know why.”

“Still, it's not fair.”

The Master only smiles.


End file.
